Compare and Contrast: The Development of Chinese and Muslim Civilizations

Another one of my world history essays. This is a comparison between ancient Chinese and Muslim empires. It's interesting to see a side-by-side comparison of long-standing dynasties in China (before they adopted a communist government) vs. disputes for succession in Muslim empires, their founding philosophy/religion (Confucianism and Islam), and their ethnocentrism.

Compare and Contrast: The Development of Chinese and Muslim Civilizations

Events in history have shown the fallacy of human actions. Mankind bonded together in an attempt to civilize their societies to combat anarchy that would've prevent the growth of the human race. The Muslim and Chinese empires had previous precedence in economical, social, and political dominance but were locked in a world wide web and the element of ethnocentrism hindered their success, conjoining them as similar victims to the rise of Western powers.

Both Muslim and Chinese empires suffered vicious cycles of degeneration. Each civilizations grew from hardship and formed governments to keep order intact. Confucianism and Islam were there to implement into government functions and instill virtues into political leaders. However, with the urbanization of these civilizations, the corruption, greed, and indolence as well as subjugation of women, and revolts followed as a result.

Middle Eastern and Chinese governments depended on the major framework of each civilization. Confucianism was a philosophy that established the foundation of government and hierarchy of society that would continually be utilized in their society. Later revivals, neo-Confucianism, further emphasized patriarchal ideas. However, Islam was an addition to the government of Muslim empires, but there were disputes on the interpretation of God's mandate, absent in China's society; hence, the disputes between the Shi'ite and the Sunni sects fueled the downfall of the Muslim empire.

Accomplishments of each empires reflected their superior roles in world history and social interactions. Arab bedouins, the Ummayad, and the Abbasid eras facilitated international world trade. Later Islamic power vacuums such as the Ottomans continued trade through the assistance of dhimmi ("people of the book") merchants but they lagged behind the investment of maritime dominance in contrast to Western Europe. During the Ming dynasty, China began expeditions to satiate the curiosities of the third emperor; however, funding ceased around 1455 because of copious amounts of supplies sent out on voyages were draining their economy. In juxtaposition to the permeable Muslim empires due to expanded territories in the Middle East during Mongolian conquests, China was successfully resilient in prolonging the deterioration of their empire as well as driving out the Mongols of the Ying dynasty out of their kingdom. Although the empires both were able to impose influences outside their boundaries, China had less impact in satellite countries of East Asia as opposed to the amalgams of Islam in northern regions of Africa and parts of Western Europe.

Despite their differences, both cowered to Western hegemony. These civilizations' conservative outlook and expanded boundaries had little motive to explore. Their sight of the West's rising power was blinded, thus resulting in their decline in power over the centuries. Although these empires once enjoyed their high points in history, their dominance declined as the West rose in power. Flaws that led to their downfall included the lack of competitive spirits due to achievements that demonstrated their supremecy. However, the consequences of their ignorance forced them to either discover ways to surpass the Europeans in power or submit to the whim of the West. Major powers will eventually come to an end, but powerful developed countries are currently on the lookout for other countries in order to keep the economical and political advances of rivals in check. .

Source:

Stearns, Peter N., Michael Adas, Stuart B. Schwartz, and Marc J. Gilbert. World Civilizations: the Global Experience, Third Edition, AP* Edition. 3rd ed. Longman Group, 2006.

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